Endless, A Silent Whisper
by chance2691
Summary: Bella and Edward had been torn apart by fate, only to reunite four years later--when a lot had been changed, and secrets loom across the horizon. Will they ever be able to see past the darkness ever again? M for storyline. Probably lemon-less, unsure.
1. The fight is over, right?

**A/N: ****EDITED November 16 - I just changed the 'EPoV' to 'Edward'--I find it easier, that way. That's all that's changed.**

**Here's the thing: I really, really, REALLY just want to Beta for Twilight. So I'm passing this.**

**Yeah, it's sort of a shallow reason to write, but what the heck. I think I'd make a nice [if not good] Twilight FanFic Writer, anyway.**

**Summary: Bella and Edward had been torn apart by fate, only to reunite four years later--when a lot had been changed, and secrets loom across the horizon. Will they ever be able to see past the darkness ever again?**

**This story is set in Manila, Philippines. Don't blame me; I know this place like the back of my hand, I think.**

**Please try to review. I used to be scared of them back in third grade, but now I'm good.**

**No more shitty talk. Let's get it on.**

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**Edward**

"Do you guys have any more questions?" James, the officer-in-charge, asked. No one answered, and no one probably will, given that the meet was supposed to be for only half an hour; it stretched into two because of his long string of complaints from all of us: how we were rarely punctual for meetings, how no one ever did their time enough, and how inefficient we do our work. His complaining usually is brought out from two things: either that his love life's been depressing--not that it never was, rather it's more depressing than usual--that, or we're not there--that, meaning we're not there to support him, and in a way, 'console' him.

If console is even the proper word for it, I mean.

"Okay, meet adjourned. The ones on duty later at six--please come _on time._ The big shots are complaining." When we talk about the 'big shots' they roughly refer to the priests here in church. It's just that sometimes we'd rather not see our work as something religious, it's something more of a social reponsibility for us to go to church, serve in church and be in church. Majority of the boys around here blame it on their parents who were church servers at a point. My case was the only thing that was different. _I,_ no matter how weird it sounded, wanted to be here.

"Masen," it was Mike Newton, resident playboy and rich kid rolled into one, "You playing today?"

"Yeah," I said and went out with him. After meetings, the boys and I have this habit of playing in the field, no matter how hot, wet or cold it got. Mike brought his baseball gear today. He was the brave soul who talked to me the moment I was new here eight years ago. He invited me to hang out at his place along with Ben Cheney and Tyler Crowley, who were all popular rich kids themselves. They all had six-figure trust funds, and all three of them went--scratch that, drove--to the Ateneo with the vehicle of their choice. It was the only thing that set us apart, really. I was no one but Edward Anthony Masen Jr, the only son of Edward Sr and Elizabeth Masen. I went to De La Salle thanks to my sponsors. I had no trust fund, all the more a bank account. My parents worked minumum wage; there's nothing more to say but that.

"Here you go," Tyler handed over Mike's aluminum bat to me, "Don't screw up, 'kay? The bets today are if we win, Mike'll treat us out Ascend tonight. The other way around, and I'll be handing over my vehicle for two weeks." Tyler's one who was a little too OCD about things. His parents gave him a pristine white Chrysler 300c for a vehicle, and when you're in there it's damn spotless. It's been his dream car, and letting speed addict Mike drive it even for an hour would probably turn the jewel into scrap metal. I merely nodded, went to the pitcher's plate and stared straight into Eric's eyes a few yards away from me. He stanced for the pitch, and no sooner it was in the air. I tried to hit it and I missed.

"Strike one!" Ben declared. He enjoyed being referee in our games more than anything. Besides, who would break out Mike and Tyler's fight, anyway?

The catcher threw the ball back to Eric, and he was looking at me, as if waiting to catch me unaware. He threw the ball again... and I missed it.

"Two!" Ben exclaimed, "Eddie, what's wrong with you?!"

"Sorry," I mumbled and tried to focus more. I was usually top player in baseball around here. I never even get strikes.

I looked at Eric again, and this time he threw and I actually saw the ball. I swung my bat so hard, the ball was merely a dot in the sunny sky; it eventually fell outside of church grounds.

I began running to first base, and I saw that Mike's the one getting the ball. I'd have to run faster, do a home run if I could. I was practically not breathing, running those bases. Mike had the ball in his mitt and threw it to his teammate. I slid my way back to the first base, my heel making it there first before the ball got into the catcher's mitt.

"SCORE!" Ben cried. Tyler gave me a thumbs-up, and game was finally on.

The innings, strikes and home runs came one after the other. In sports, Mike usually ran the fastest, and I hit things the hardest. Tyler would be the best when in comes to strategizing in team sport, and Ben would be the best at--well, being a referee. Ben was never allowed to get himself too tired; he has a potassium problem that when sports leaves him too weak, he won't be able to get up the next morning. So to be a part of the game, he's the moderator--calling the scores, calling to the clinic if one of us gets hurt, and most of all he tries his hardest to make us play by the rules. Honesty is an integral part of our friendship: break it and you break everything.

Finally, the game was over and we won. Mike's not one to act like a sore loser about it; what did he have to lose, in the first place? He called his mom for our guy's night out tonight, and she merely said, 'Just be sure you're home before the sun rises.' Mike's mom was really a hipster; she's close to being the coolest mom in church.

"So--Edward," Mike said, "Have you moved on now?" All us boys were laying on the grass, shirts off, letting the sun bake us. Mike's question caught me a little off guard; I never knew he was attentive to my 'issues.'

"Huh, what?" I decided to play dumb. It was the story I never really spoke out loud, but whenever I thought about it my heart would just break a little more.

"Have you moved on?" He repeated, "About Isabella?" I merely sighed in reply.

"Like, dude." Tyler piped up, "It's been--what, four years since you last saw each other? And you're still not over her? We know you love her and everything, but we think it's time you do."

I closed my eyes and tried hard not to think about her in that moment. Isabella Marie Swan was once this nine-year-old girl I knew here in church. She too, was a church server like us boys. She sang, and she was one of the best one we've got. I saw her the first day she was here--her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, red shirt and blue jeans. She's not like every other girl here in church who--I never knew if intentionally or not--literally fell in the laps of us boys. She was just--different, like it was so early on that she knew what she needed, what she wanted, where she was going.

But I never knew that where she was going had me in it, until the day she left Manila.

There had been rumors of Bella and I around here, that we'd been caught kissing somewhere in church. The news made it to her mom, Renee, who had a sparkling reputation of being one of the richest, most generous sponsors here. She once sent me to school in the Ateneo, along with the boys. But when the news caught up to her--next thing I knew was I didn't have enough finances to go there anymore, and I had to stop for the rest of the year. Some of my sponsors were still willing to send me to school, and we had talked it over that I'm attending my classes over the De La Salle. That could have been better, except for the fact that first day of classes Bella and I were in the same class list. This time, her mom had made her drop her high school freshman year, only to move to a different branch of De La Salle somewhere far, far off Manila. All I had from then was a letter she sent after she left.

The guys and I had been quiet after our short conversation about Bella. I was drowning in my dreams, thinking about her, and then I heard James. Ah. This James was different from the one we saw a while ago. This one had drunk a little too much of Red Horse and was notably tipsy. Us boys lay still, a tense, hushed silence was in the air.

This, indeed, was not going to be pretty.

"Masen! C'mere!" His language was slurred, and it was that tone that none of us liked, since we knew what he wanted.

"Up, Edward," I heard Ben whisper to himself. He was probably shaking in fear. He'd never experienced it the way Tyler, Mike and I did; I'd rather he didn't feel it in the longest time possible.

I slowly got up, took my grass-stained shirt back on, and dragged myself back onto the pavement. I can feel my core about to crumble, but I had to keep the poker face on. I looked straight forward, walking toward James, and he dragged me by the arm.

It was these days that I wish our priests didn't have to do community work on Saturdays.

_'Calm yourself down, Edward, you know this,'_ I thought to myself. The sun beat down on my skin like fire; like I was being roasted alive. I looked back onto the field, and I saw the three best buds I know looking back at me, eyes wide with fear.

"Y'know, Edward," James led me up to the computer room, "You're a g'lookin' guy. S'metimes, I wonder what keeps you single for s'long." He opened the door, took me in and then locked it, and walked me to the bathroom door. I tried to answer, but I can't find my voice. I must have left it next to Mike a while ago.

I leaned back on the while-tiled wall, letting it cool through my shirt. I saw James look at me straight in the eye, and I closed mine. I didn't want him to look at me that way. Only Bella would be allowed to see me that way.

"Mmm..." He hummed, and knelt in front of me. I tried to keep the waterworks to myself, but I was on the verge of losing it when he popped open the button in my jeans.

"So delicious..." I heard him say. I didn't want to hear these... these erotic things come out of his mouth. He was a man. So was I. Wouldn't that make this thing _awkward?_

I froze like a statue the moment he sucked me. It left me this slimy feeling, like getting all dirty with no hope of being clean ever again.

I shut my eyes even harder and tried to think of something--anything that would alleviate my attention to this disgusting thing I had to endure. I thought of Bella. I _had_ to. I thought of her doing this to me. I know, I know: it's a sin to lust after someone like this, but I want to forget. I want to forget this, along with every other time I was violated and stripped of my innocence. I wanted to pretend that I still had a little dignity in me. I wanted to pretend I was worthy of being anything. I wanted...

I pushed and forced myself into the darkness, letting the night take over me whole.

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**Tell me what do you think. I've got the story pretty much planned out in my head, but in case you see any loopholes please don't be scared to ask me.**

**In truth, I'm actually scared of people who are reading this, so... haha!!**

**I'll try to add things up soon. It's our college week, so I'm totally vacant.**

**.cha**


	2. Departure

**A/N: If any of you had this on alert [I don't know how to see those kind of things yet], I'm going to have to apologize for the delay. The rough draft had been in my notebook for the last three, four days--I got too ****chicken to merely type and post it.**

**Yeah, I sound like an odd embarrassing freak.**

**This is said rough draft. I had it edited on the typing process, of course. I tried to edit this a bunch of times after I wrote it, but--what the hell. My mind went on vacation.**

**If you may, review. Tell me what you want to see, and I'll try to see that I give you guys what you want.**

**Our college week sucked. Haha!! I hate my class.**

**PS. I chopped this off into two parts, because I thought I was too long, too much dead air, monotonous.**

**Peace.**

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**Bella**

I had been up all night last night; I felt too anxious to sleep. My mind hadn't stopped cranking its gears, thinking of all the possibilities; what with my so-called impulse plan to go to the city--scratch that, go _back_ to the city I once called home: Manila. I was pretty sure that Gran--my grandmother's friend who had been told to watch over me while I was here--hadn't had a wink of sleep, either. She'd probably bawled her eyes all night, wishing that I stay here in the country, even just to finish up my senior year, before heading back to Manila for college.

The offer had been tempting, but I said _no._ And that, indeed, broke her heart.

My plans of heading back wasn't really unknown here. Jacob Black, my first and only real friend here, had tried to convince me over and over to stay. He knows what's been going on around here, and he's the only one who knows the real reason why I was leaving. These past three weeks I had to put up a show that I was getting real sad and homesick, which I perceived more like as a warm-up to the actual heartbreak for Gran. She, no matter how sad I got, never offered me to just go back to Renee, my mom; it must have been mom's protocols.

"Bells, I wish you would stay." I could hear Jacob plead in my head, "Things just won't be the same here if you go." He never sounded so desperate--not even when Renesmee, his girlfriend of three years, had tried to break up with him time and again. I pitied him for being sad because of me.

"Ah, Jake," I sighed, "Sometimes I wish I could, but we both know that I'm better off if I didn't." That was always my reply. After that, he wouldn't contest me, and we'd just talk about other things.

I loved Jacob a whole lot. He was the only one who was brave enough to talk to me when my mom deported me into this dark hole. We both either drove or carpooled each other to Brent International School which was in Subic. Sometimes we'd take his red Volkswagen Rabbit, or my blue Chevrolet Aveo. He's like a big brother to me, promising to protect me from anything and everything that got in my way. Of course, living out here in the country has its disadvantages for me, the City Girl. But then, there was one thing that I never expected in _here,_ never in a million years.

Hence, I had to go.

Tonight's going to be my last night in this house, so Jacob took it upon himself to ask permission from Gran to sleep over. She agreed, hoping that he can change my mind. Little did Gran know how hard Jacob tried, but I had always said no; I have decided. Nothing can change that.

Right now, Jacob's sleeping next to me in the queen-sized four-poster. His legs were spread out, mouth agape, and hair a tangled mess of black. It felt comforting to see him sleep peacefully, but that peace was not enough to make me change my mind. I think nothing ever will.

I lay down next to him and closed my eyes. I saw him again--the reason I was sent into exile--Edward Masen. I saw him in my dreams every night for the last four years I'd been here, still the same thirteen-year-old boy I once knew. Messy bronze hair. Pool of green eyes. Schoolboy posture. I never forgot about him; never had, never will. I was so close to actually talking to him that first day... but then mom had to pull me out of De La Salle, telling her friends that there was a better De La Salle branch outside of Manila. Yeah, right.

Oh, how I hated it. It took me two years to realize I liked him, and four more years to realize that I loved him. I used to write our names together at the back of my notebook: Edward Anthony Masen, Jr. Isabella Marie Swan-Masen. It sounded so beautiful, like our names clicked. But now--I don't think I'll ever see him again, much less talk to him.

I began to drift into slumber, and no sooner I knew I was in my dark place. I tried to get up from the bed, and right then and there I knew. My left ankle had been shackled to the bedpost, but how did I get here? Ah... I recalled the events in my head, how the mechanics would work.

I was sedated.

Upon the moment on my realization, I heard a slight woosh from the darkness. Someone was with me. I could hear its footsteps coming closer, closer still... and then he stopped.

"I want you to..." His rich bass voice began. No, no, no. I quickly swam back into consciousness, hoping he won't get me anymore.

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**Now, now. I hope you don't blame me with my choice of cars and such. The Chevy Aveo--I always see that whenever I go to school, and it looks really, REALLY cute.**

**And as a start-off note: our school calendar here starts at June and ends in March. That's going to be the answer in case you think why they're going to school in this month, when it's summertime in your country in that month. Did you get me? I didn't get myself. Haha!!**

**Thank you for the positive response from you guys. It got me pumped up to write a little more.**

**.cha**


	3. The Morning After

**A/N: Okay. Here's the rest part--after Bella's dream. It's finally the morning after; she's finally going.**

**This is what I've done, so far.**

**I'm going to leave you with an early apology, because formal classes are on again. Yawn. It's not like I can do anything about it; I have to comply with requirements if I plan on staying on until graduation [which, indeed, I do].**

**Tell me what you think about it, okay? Puh-leeze and thank you!**

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_"I want you to..." His rich bass voice began. No, no, no. I quickly swam back into consciousness, hoping he won't get me anymore._

I gasped for breath. It was morning.

"Bella? Bella?" Jacob rushed into my room. He must have heard me. "Bella, are you all right?"

I wanted to speak, but no word came out of my lips. I didn't want him to worry; I was perfectly okay. He ran to the bottom of my dresser drawer and took out my anti-arrhythmic meds. I, on the other hand, ran to my bathroom and took a bottle of water from the ref and went back to Jacob who gave me a pill of my med. I popped it into my mouth, took a swig of water and then swallowed. There _had_ to be other ways to calm my heart down.

"Thanks." I muttered.

"Same dream?" He sat on my bed.

"Yeah." I sat next to him. "Same dream, same place, same person. It's been keeping me up all these nights. I wish I can just run away from them." He knew those dreams. He had them once before as well, when he was the newcomer around here.

"I wish you could."

We stayed silent for a few more minutes. I had to leave today for Manila. It's finally now or never.

Jacob left me to myself as he took the bathroom downstairs for the morning shower. I used the one along the hallway. After my shower, I went to my room and took the remaining pieces of clothing I had left: a blue tank top, white shorts and orange satin flats from Nine West. I looked at myself in the mirror, and right then and there I saw how four years had changed me. I looked mature--too mature. My cheekbones had been a lot hollow, my jawline more defined. My eyes were nothing more but empty, brown pools of loneliness and my skin was getting a little sallow.

Those were some sad four years.

"Isabella, ready?" I heard Gran from downstairs. "I want you to go home before it gets late."

I took a piece of rubber band lying around and tied my hair into a messy ponytail. "Yes, Gran. Just a sec." All I was going to have left is this morning, and nothing else. I went out of my room and dashed through the stairs, only to be greeted by two plates with buttermilk pancakes, maple syrup and cold chocolate milk. Gran always spoiled me and Jacob like a baby.

"You're going to need your energy today if you plan to commute home." Gran tapped my shoulder and motioned me to the dining table, "Come on. This is the last thing I can do for you."

The word 'last' stung me a bit. I obeyed Gran and sat on the head of the table. Jacob sat to my right and we had breakfast in silence. It was eight, and it was a Sunday morning. I had to leave as soon as I can, or else I'd be stuck here longer. I didn't like the sound of that at all.

After eating we cleaned the dishes and talked to Gran a little more. It tore me to pieces, the thought that I had to leave her to herself. All of Gran's children--my aunts--had their own houses, not so far from here. It's just that she lives in the ancestral house, and my grandma had asked her a favor to look after our vacation house [where I'm living right now] while we were away. The thought of it shook me.

"Bells, are you ready?" Jacob broke me out of my little trance.

"Uh. Yeah." I shook my head. "Let's go." I went to Gran and kissed her on the cheek. She was tearing up.

"Aww, Gran." I hugged her.

"I'm okay, don't mind me," was all she said, "You go now, and I'll see you soon."

I let go of her and went to Jacob. He handed over my heart-printed JanSport backpack, and we went out of the house.

"You're going to enjoy Manila, right?" He was pulling my lime green trolley, his arm around my shoulder.

"Yeah." I felt my breath hitch. I thought my farewell was going to leave me a feeling of relief, but now I felt guilty for hurting their feelings.

"We're going to manage, alright? I _want_ you to be there. No one will ever lay a hand on you there, okay? I'll visit Gran every day for you. You'll always be my best friend." He held me a little tighter.

And then I broke into sobs.

"Ssh, Bella." He let to of my trolley and hugged me. I'd never felt so vulnerable like this before, but it's all settling in now. I was leaving Jacob and Gran--especially Gran. I was sure I never wanted to go back. I was going back to Manila to start over. I was going back as someone new.

I was going back to Manila for Edward.

I dried my tears into Jacob's already wet t-shirt. I relaxed and he took me to the bus stop.

"You text me, okay?" He buried his face into my hair. Just then, there was a white bus with red and yellow stripes that slowed and came to a stop in front of us. The conductor got out and and took my trolley into their side compartment. I kissed Jacob's cheek one last time and got in. I got to a row in the middle, sat near the window and threw my carry-on bag to the seat next to me.

"Ma'am, if you're bag's sitting--"

"Here." I handed over four hundred-peso bills just to shut the conductor up. He eventually left me alone.

Jacob's figure gradually began to melt away until he was merely a speck of dust from I where I sat. We're never going to see each other again, that's what I was pretty sure of.

I had the rest of the four-hour drive back to Manila to think. My high school life had been one heck of a rollercoaster ride from start to almost-finish. There had been up and down moments which made everything into a bipolar disorder. My senior year--I am sure--will be the same. It is rare for students, most especially high school seniors, to drop out halfway into the school year. This was a first, but I needed to. I just had to.

I took out my leather wallet from my bag's pocket, and opened one of the secret zippers inside. There, I kept Edward's picture. It was back when he was twelve, and my parents had hosted an acquaintance party at home. He'd been there along with his long-time buddies Mike, Tyler and Ben, I remember Angela, one of my girlfriends, telling me that Ben let Edward borrow a tailored suit of his, just so he looked good enough for me. The photos of that event were posted in the church bulletin board, and I took this one down. I kept it in my wallet ever since. I looked at it every night before I slept, especially when I needed to chase the nightmares away.

I held onto it tight. My heart began to pace a little again.

I was coming home, yet I felt so tense. I tried to relax; keep calm. Get a grip, Bella! How hard is this going to get?

Good question, actually.

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**There. It's posted.**

**I have no other words for this post-script A/N. _Hapunan na kasi eh._ [Translation: It's dinnertime.]**

**Peace.**

**EDITED November 18 - You wouldn't even notice it.**

**Another apology--_I got sore eyes!_ Aw, darn. My mom won't let me surf the net and all that stuff because my left eye is [still] red. It's going to be a little late until I post again, but I'll try to have it up before Sunday night.**

**It's all starting to come into place now--how I want this to come out. I can say as early as now that it's going to be a long one. So if you could, please hold on to your seats.**

**And thank you for the 200++ hits and 100++ visitors. You make my day.**

**.cha**


	4. Omniscient

**A/N: So I'm here again, after one whole MONTH. My apologies, especially to those who had been waiting for the next part to come out _[if there are people waiting for it to come out, in the first place]_—home, school, family… it's all too busy, I can't come to put it in my head that it's December already. Had time flown too fast?**

**Another factor of the major delay is the fact that I didn't know from who's POV will I show to you. Edward's done, Bella's done, so this next one's a little—'off.'**

**Thanks for reading, though. Read and review if you please.**

**See ya at the bottom.**

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**Jacob**

"You text me, okay?" I kissed her hair as she wept in my chest. Here I was, holding a sobbing Bella who was ever more than prepared to go back home—to Manila. The bus conductor took her trolley as she kissed my cheek and went in the bus.

And then she was gone. The Victory Liner bus took her away, taking her back to her home; her Edward. Her happy place.

I froze on the spot when it dawned on me that Isabella Marie Swan, my best friend, was not coming back anymore. Or at least, she's not coming back until _he_ was still here.

It might as well be forever, then.

I stood there for a solid five minutes, thinking about Bella and her departure over and over. She wanted to leave the moment she was sent here, and now she did. _Relax, Jacob. It's okay._

I crossed the road and dragged my feet to Renesmee's place. She'd been my girlfriend since I was in sophomore year; she was a freshman then. Apart from Bella, Renesmee had been the only girl who knew me well, sometimes ever better than I knew myself. They were the girls in my life, Renesmee and Bella.

I'd made it to her house, just a stone's throw from the highway. She was cross-sitting on the garden swing I built for her last year, barefoot and her tan legs a mile long. She looked at me, but didn't make an effort to come close. She adjusted her position and now her legs were closed, hands on her lap. I sat next to her and lay my head on her lap.

"She's gone, isn't she," she merely said, "Don't talk; I'd been watching you there."

I nodded, took her palm and kissed it, and then closed my eyes. I loved it—how Renesmee won't pressure me to open up about my feelings, most especially when I'm feeling down, like today. She simply knew what's on my mind without us talking about it, and vice versa. It was one of the best parts of our relationship: much said without words.

Renesmee had been sticking with me and my 'down' attitude these past couple of weeks. I'd visit her and we'd just hold each other, whiling the hours away in silence. She knew that Bella and I were best friends, and those two might as well be sisters. Bella had been the older sister Renesmee never had. We were a close-knit group, and we knew everything about each other. Nessie and I were the only ones who knew the real reason why she left. Yes, she left to be with Edward Masen. That was understandable. But she left the countryside because of _him—_the bastard—it was something I wish had never, ever happened.

"Don't blame Bella," Renesmee pierced through my reverie, "If I were in her shoes, I'd leave, too." I sighed in reply.

"She's going to be better there, with Edward, okay?" She assured me, "It's going to be safer there. Now—c'mon. Lighten up! You've been worried sick like a parent. It's going to be fine."

My muscles pulled at the edges for a decent smile and then rose from the swing. If anything, I don't want to hamper my girl's day because I was wallowing in my own sorrow. She deserved better than that, so I took her into my arms and carried her into the house.

"Aah! Jake!" She laughed. Nessie was light as a pillow in my arms. I began laughing with her; you just can't avoid her cheerfulness. Being with this girl was like being with my personal sun. Yep, she was the girl for me.

I let her down and she went to the kitchen and I followed. Renesmee was probably the only girl I knew who knew her way around living alone. Her parents died when she was twelve, and all their relatives lived abroad. She never wanted to leave, so she had herself, this two-storey place and a somewhat sizeable inheritance to live with.

Sunday mornings were spent here at Nessie's. We'd all bring food and we'd just eat and study all day. Today we're having her 'secret' cookies—she claims they're high in protein and they've got a secret ingredient in them. We lounged on the couch, and I was munching through my sixth piece when my Nokia phone rang.

"Yes, good morning," I said in a businesslike manner, "Jacob Black speaking."

"Yeah, it's you all right," a familiar voice on the other line said, "What the hell's up with your tone?"

"Dude! Emmett!" I exclaimed, and Nessie looked at me with happy eyes, "What's up?"

"You _won't_ believe it, Jake," Emmett began to speed up—he was obviously ecstatic—"We're in the airport right now—in Manila. Apparently, Mom and Dad wanted up to take college here, so Little Alice and I left boarding school and then flew back!" The background was a buzz of vehicles and people, and then Little Alice's 'I heard that, you bear!' I laughed. Nessie then settled her head in my shoulder, and I began stroking her hair.

Emmett Cullen had a story similar to Bella—the Cullens were a rich family who were our neighbors for the longest time. We used to be playmates, and we were classmates in Brent from Pre-K all the way to Elementary School. They left the country, halfway into freshman year, migrating to Sweden to save up for college—at least, that's what the town knows. Truth was _he_ got to Emmett, and was planning to get to Alice, as well. It was good that Em told it straight to his parents, but it was painful when they left. Alice gave me the Nokia phone to keep in touch. We never lost contact, and now they're back here to finish up on senior year, and then college. I smiled to myself, but wait—

"So—second sem, right? What campus?" I asked. I knew that both Bella and Edward attend their high school classes in the De La Salle—hence her mom pulled her out. But don't you think it'd be weird if…

"Archers, baby!" Emmett announced proudly, "We're attending De La Salle tomorrow, dude! How cool is that?"

"Yeah, and I'm finishing up my senior year, too!" Alice screamed into the phone; I flinched. "I got accelerated!"

_They said WHAT? _All bodily functions slowed to a stop.

"Wait, what?" I spoke slowly, "De. La. Salle?!"

"Yep, you got that right."

Emmett. Alice. Bella. Edward. If they're all attending the same campus, they're bound to cross paths with one another, and since Bella told me that there are only _four_ senior classes—

"Hello? Hello Jake!" Emmett was yelling into the receiver; Nessie was snapping her fingers in from of my face. I shook my head.

This might be interesting.

"Em, Em?" I rose from the couch and paced slowly across the carpet, "La Salle? I got a little favor to ask… okay?"

**Bella**

_Running. Panting._

_It's dark—_

_I was running across the woods, running away from someone I didn't even know. It's raining torrents, but I had to move. If I make it out of here, I'll be free._

_I'll get to see Edward._

_The same moment of my realization was the same moment that it came crashing down on me, why I had to keep going. There were footsteps behind me—big, heavy, manly footsteps. I began pushing my legs. Run, Bella! Get away from him!_

"_I'm coming to get you…" the familiar luxurious bass voice said. I shocked me, making me trip over a rock and fall._

"_You think you're so smart, trying to move and to get away—from _ME?_" He held me tightly by the arm, shaking me. "No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you'll _never_ get to run away from me. He dragged me back into the darkness, to my lonely place._

"Excuse me, miss…" It was the bus conductor.

I woke up to a shock, gasping for breath. It was scary, like I couldn't overcome… I looked at my surroundings, only to find out that the bus had been emptied… except for me.

"Oh. I'm—sorry." I rose, took my bag and went. My trolley was by the door, waiting. I took out a hundred-peso bill out of my pocket and then handed it over to the conductor. Oh my. He must have thought that I was having an episode. The thought of it made me blush.

I dragged my trolley through the cement, and…

Manila. My home. It was finally in front of me.

I took in a deep breath, amazed that my lungs weren't the least bit startled by the smell of sweat, smoke and pollution. It was unhealthy, but it was the only thing that reminded me of home. Cars were flashing by, and in front of me was the familiar campus with the gothic gate. Its land spread out endlessly, just the way it was supposed to be.

I was in Manila – North, standing in front of the old campus. It was a little after lunch, and the sun was beating down on my tank like I was an egg to fry. I hailed a cab and took everything in.

"Where to?"

"Manila – South." The driver merely nodded and then stepped on it.

I closed my eyes, trying my hardest not to think about home, school—not even Edward. My first day inLa Salle tomorrow was going to be talk of the town, and I wanted to chase them all away. The pressure was immense, and it's a lot to take in. The greatest of pressures was bound to come from Renée—she'd be furious. _Why did you come home? What makes you think that you're finishing high school_ here? _You're going back to Brent tomorrow. NO QUESTIONS._

I continually heard my mom's voice in my head, and then suddenly Edward broke through the chaos. His green eyes burnt with a new fire in them as he looked straight into my eyes. He was still the same—good looks and all. He was about to take my hand—

"Miss, miss?" My eyes opened.

"Oh. Uh—take the next u-turn. Turn right, and right again on the first street." My heart rate started to spike. If mom was home, I was bound to be toast. I'm just wishing she wasn't.

The cab stopped in front of my house. I handed him three hundred pesos, took my luggage out, and just froze.

Home.

_Nothing more to do but to face the music._ I gathered my thoughts together and pressed the doorbell.

* * *

**Now what's going to happen? Wouldn't we all want to know.**

**This story [to me] looks like it's bound to be monotonous, but I'll try to work through it with much enjoyment as possible.**

**Tell me what you think.**

**xo,  
.cha**


	5. First Daze

**A/N: Here's to making it up to you guys.**

**In case you see [Music] in my A/Ns, it's just the music I was listening to while making the chap.**

**I hope you still like it. :D**

**Music – Usher & Beyoncé, Love in this Club, Part II**

* * *

**Edward**

_RIIIIING!!!_

"Jesus Christ," I mumbled. It was but five in the morning, and it was a Monday. The Saturday Boy's Night Out hangover was still pulsing somewhere in my veins, but I had to get up and go. Mom was about to go out the door when she noticed me stir.

"Anthony, breakfast is on the table. Your sponsors dropped by yesterday to give you your allowance, and it's next to your schoolbag." Mom walked to my makeshift bed and helped me up, "I have to get going now. Your dad was out a little earlier; his boss wanted him to report early. You can manage by yourself, right? Don't forget your house keys. Be safe and good luck in class. I love you, son." She said all of that in one breath, kissed my cheek and went.

I fixed my bed, took my towel and headed to the shower. While most families I knew spent their morning talking and laughing through their breakfast, my family spent their early mornings prepping for school or work. Both my parents worked as call center agents in two different offices north of Manila. We'd rarely see each other in the morning, so we made it a point to see one another by dinnertime. We were all having our personal battles, but somehow we try to pull through. Mom and Dad are starting to save up to send me to college—_if_ we can save enough to send me through all four years of college—preferably in a decent university, unlike the ones that were sprinkled here and there in where we live. My parents had dreams for me, and I wanted to fulfill them. If it can be the way I can make up for everything they had to go through, I'd gladly do it.

After taking a bath, I went to my closet. I had nothing more but ten, twelve shirts, two pairs of pants and a pair of good leather shoes—all provided by my sponsors. I took out a green shirt, and my favorite dark wash pants. I wanted to feel good about myself today, and I wanted to forget the incident that was Saturday noon.

Breakfast, like all else, was a solo event. I chewed my way through the dried fish and rice Mom cooked this morning, looking around our ramshackle place. It was but an open space—my bed was in front of the TV (no sofas in here), and across my bed was the single communal bathroom for me, Mom and Dad. Their bedroom was adjacent to the bathroom, and that was pretty much it. Our kitchen-slash-dining area was right next to the front door, and sometimes people would peek in at us through the jalousie.

I washed the dishes, took my schoolbag, locked up and left. My week's allowance was in my bag. Now, I had to commute.

I walked out of the slums and into the middle-class village that was next to our place. Walking was an inevitable part of my day. It took half an hour just to get out from my house and out into the actual highway, and it was totally bad especially when I'm running late for class.

_Honk! Honk!_

It took me a few seconds to realize that I was walking in the middle of the road, and I jumped to the side. The vehicle was a black Jeep. This man must be rich.

The Jeep stopped and the window in front of me rolled down. "Dude, watch where you're walking; you might get run on."

"Y-ya. Sorry." I got a little intimidated by Jeep Man. He was huge, with these wet, dark brown curls on top of his head. He, too, must have just gotten out of the shower just like me. The girl in the passenger seat was more relaxed; she had her spiky hair nice and dry. She must have been up for sometime now.

"It's okay, man." Jeep Man said, "Hey, you want a ride? Where are you going?"

"I'm headed to school: De La Salle, it's far South, so—"

"No _way! _That's where we're going, too!_"_ Jeep Man exclaimed and then pressed a button. A car door opened, "Get in! Get in!"

I couldn't say a word—yet. I just hopped in and closed the door. Jeep Man suddenly became ecstatic—too ecstatic.

"So, what year are you?" He asked, "Senior, huh?"

"Uh… yeah."

"Cool. Name's Emmett Cullen. This is my sister, Alice Cullen. You?"

"It's—Edward. Edward Masen." I was still a little frozen. Here I was, sitting in the back of a Jeep, making conversations with a guy I barely knew for ten seconds, and he was expecting me to be happy and bubbly the way he was. It felt uncomfortable to me.

"We're new students," the Alice girl piped up, "So… it'd probably be nice if you can show us around campus, like to the main office or something. And maybe we can have lunch together, too."

"Yeah, yeah, sure, sure." I felt like a stupid mute. Alice then smiled, and her pearl white teeth shocked me a little. How can she be so comfy with some random stranger like me?

"We came from Sweden," Emmett said, "Boarding school. Alice here's just supposed to take junior year, but then by some miracle she passed the acceleration program and we're both seniors. How about you? What's your story?"

The minutes passed by like that. Where I'm from, where our parents worked, hobbies, talents… I was starting to feel—gulp—_okay_ about being with these two people I barely knew. They sure had a great sibling relationship together, it made me hope I had a sister or brother of my own.

We got to De La Salle at a quarter to seven, and I took the Cullens to the High School Principal's office. They told me to leave them there; they still had a few things to fix with their move here. I went out into the sunrise, letting it just bathe me with Vitamin D. It made me feel good, this way… it's like nothing mattered, just me, and the day to come.

Good morning, Sunshine.

**Emmett**

"Dude, you'll never guess what just happened," I called Jake at the crack of dawn's ass. I know he'd be grumpy—it's early, darn it—but I just can't believe my luck. "I almost crushed that Edward Masen you were talking about. He was like, walking on the road, a quarter to six, yeah? And then I honked at him. We gave him a ride to school. He even walked us to the principal's office."

"'Tis good, Em." Jacob was brushing his teeth on the other line, "S'you think he's good?"

"Yea. Green shirt, dark pants, leather shoes. Messy hair. No problem about him, dude. Looks good, manners are even better. No worries 'bout him, Jake. Chill."

"I hope so. I don't want Bella's heart crushed because of some _jerk._" He really spat that one out, "Call me up when something new happens, 'kay? I've got to dress up. Call you later Em."

"Sure. G'luck at class, Jake." I flipped my phone closed. Alice was tinkering her gold Dolce and Gabana Motorola phone right next to me. Geez. If she wasn't shopping for clothes, she was bound to be glued to her phone, texting our friends from Sweden.

"If you're going to just do that all day, we're not going to make new friends around here. You might not even see the nice shops." I teased, "What am I going to do without a new pair of flat tops?"

"Flats are _shoes,_ sweet brother o' mine," she said, still texting, "And I'm actually in this inquiry with where the hotspots are, so rest assured a new wardrobe is in order." She snapped her phone closed, "So—_that_ was your homework?"

"Yeah, Jake wanted me to check out this Edward Masen was. He had this best friend named Isabella Swan, and she was supposedly studying here. Transferred _back_." Just then the Principal's Office door swung open, and out came this well-dressed girl—even Alice stared, jaw open. She walked her heel out of the place proudly.

"Confident," Alice remarked to herself, "I like that."

"Ah, Mr. and Ms. Cullen, in my office please," it was the Principal. Alice and I rose and went in.

**Bella**

"This _is_ an unexpected surprise, Ms. Swan," Principal Greene looked at me through her glasses, "But—yes, welcome home. This is your slip," she handed over a piece of pink paper I was supposed to have each of my teachers sign, "And your class is IV – A. I assume I don't have to tell you where your room is?"

"Yes, Mrs. Greene, I'm bound to work my way around here," I smiled earnestly, "And thank you for opening your doors once more."

"Anytime, Ms. Swan." She rose from her black leather swivel chair. "Now, I have to attend to a few newcomers. Thank you so much."

"Welcome."

I opened the door to see two students—the newcomers, I assume. One was muscular, probably a gym buff, and the other a nicely-dressed, spiky-haired girl. They were probably well-off; they obviously had designer duds on. I walked my way out into the hall, and stopped at once.

It was him. _Edward Cullen._

Altar Boy himself was standing in the middle of the field, welcome the sunshine. His eyes were closed, palms up and smiling to himself. He had the green shirt I bought along with one of his sponsors, the dark wash pants, and the Florsheim shoes. He looked so happy, so peaceful. I can't help to imagine what he'd look like the moment he knows I'm here—

"Look ladies, it's the badass good witch of the countryside. I thought De La Salle was for rich kids _only?_" Tanya Denali was behind me; I don't even have to turn around to see who it was.

"Haven't they taught her the rule? Once you leave Manila, you can never, _EVER_ come back. Not even for parents, school—nada." Jessica Stanley added, "But, what can we say. _We're _the queens now. So I guess it's totally fair."

"So, what did they teach you in Subic, how to _sew?_" It was Lauren. "Do you make your clothes now, 'cause they're obviously cheap and—"

"Buzz off, bitch." It was a new voice. I still hadn't turned around; my eyes were starting to burn a little. "Staple your lips. And I _know_ that's cheap lipstick. I can smell the fish scales from here." New Girl tapped at her heels as the Bitchy Bunch shut up and walked away.

"So—you know that lipstick's got fish scales?" My voice broke at the last word.

"Yeah. My mom's into fashion and stuff, so I know what's what." New Girl walked to my side, "It's Alice. And you are…?"

"Bella. Those girls were Tanya, Lauren, Jessica. They've been tormenting me from Adam and Eve." I faced Alice. She was the spiky-haired girl from the Principal's Office. "Thanks."

"No prob," Alice smiled at me, and I tried to smile back. "I've got to go now. See you later, lunch maybe?"

"Sure, sure."

Alice and the big guy walked away, and I stood next to the post. Edward, Edward, Edward. Does he still remember me?

_RIIIIING!!!_

Ten minutes before class. I began the hunt for my room. IV – A. It was _my_ first day back, after all.

Let the games begin.

* * *

**Chenen! :)) R and R, still.**

**Thanks,  
****.cha**


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